The Source: The Graying Of Latin America

All across Latin America and here in the U.S. the Latino population is graying. Here in Texas it doubled between 2000 and 2014. While the aging coincides with the expected baby-boomer generation and therefore a buildup in services in the U.S., across Mexico, where the elderly population nearly doubled, the institutions are not prepared for the impacts to social services and the economy.

A conference taking place in San Antonio this week, will explore Aging in the Americas and how these countries and the U.S. will handle the stresses of this graying.

Guests:

Rogelio Sáenz, dean of the college of Public Policy at the University of Texas San Antonio

Jacqueline Angel, professor of public affairs at the University of Texas Austin

Complaints that modern generations are more childlike than their predecessors are common--but UT History professor Steven Mintz argues that this is a good thing. His new book, The Prime of Life: A History of Modern Adulthood, explores the trend towards Peter Pan-youth.

When people see a Naked Mole Rat, they don't see an animal whose genetic make-up could hold the keys to longevity. They see an objectively ugly creature, if such a thing exists. The Barshop Institute at University of Texas Health Science Center studies these animals genetics because they seem to be impervious to many poisons, live more than 7 times longer than their mice cousins and don't develop cancers.

What can we learn from other animals genetics for our own existence? What are some future research opportunities to extend life?